


Absolution

by Leviarty



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-31
Updated: 2015-10-31
Packaged: 2018-04-29 06:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5118569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leviarty/pseuds/Leviarty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny knew exactly what the problem was, exactly when their partnership had gone from friendly to hostile, and they didn’t need a therapist to solve their problems. They needed a time machine.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Absolution

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Русский available: [Абсолюция](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7589272) by [cicada](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cicada/pseuds/cicada)



> Takes place after 5x17 (Kuka'awale/Stakeout)

Whether it was the Governor’s idea or the police chief’s, he didn’t know, but for once they had agreed on something. Fucking marriage counseling.

And, okay, yeah, he could see why, because they’d been kind of a mess for months. They still got the job done, still had a higher clearance rate than anyone in HPD, but things had gone sideways more than a couple times, because, well, maybe because they’d been a little too focused on each other to notice everything that was going on around them. Hell, even Kono and Chin, who were usually at least somewhat amused by their banter, were getting tired of their antics.

But sitting them down across from some shrink who thought her degree meant she knew them or something? That was too much.

The real kicker was, Danny knew exactly what the problem was, exactly when their partnership had gone from friendly to hostile, and they didn’t need a therapist to solve their problems. They needed a time machine.

 

They had good days and bad days, and the good outnumber the bad two-to-one. Most days, they were fine. But he wasn’t an idiot; he knew the bad days were pretty bad.

But they were best friends, brothers, o’hana, whatever. Steve didn’t hesitate to help him find his brother, didn’t say a word when Danny pulled the trigger on Matty’s killer. And when Steve was taken by Wo Fat, Danny was right there saving him, like he always did, and sat at his bedside until he knew Steve was okay.

He wasn’t blind. He recognized that most of the good days between him and Steve were otherwise pretty shitty days.

It was the quiet ones, when there were no terrorist threats, not car bombs, no missing kids, when there was nothing else to focus on, that was when they were at each other throats, on the verge of a fist fight.

Hell, maybe a fist fight would ease the tension a little.

 

 

“I can’t help but wonder,” the therapist said at their third meeting. “If sex wouldn’t ease the tension a little.”

“Um, _what_?” Danny asked, just as Steve said “You do know we aren’t actually married, right?”

“Of course,” she said. “But I am a marriage councilor, and many of the couples that I see have very similar disagreements to yours. Many times, the solution is as simple as sex. Neither partner is happy with their sex life, and it leads to unhappiness in all other aspects of life.”

“Yeah, but see,” Danny said, shaking his head and sitting up straighter. “The problems you see here _started_ when we had sex.”

And her stunned silence might have been somewhat satisfying if Steve wasn’t sitting next to him looking like a bomb about to go off.

“Would you care to elaborate on that, Detective Williams?” she asked finally.

“I think our hour is up,” Steve said, already out of his chair and halfway to the door.

Danny slammed his head against the back of the chair, then got up to follow him out.

Today was going to be a bad day.

 

 

The car ride was an awful kind of silent. Danny was driving – because that was something Steve now allowed, on occasion – but Steve was in the passenger seat, leg shaking, jaw clenched. And Danny had no idea what to say, didn’t know how to fix things between them.

Steve’s phone rang.

“Thank god,” Danny said as Steve fished it out of his pocked.

“Yeah, Chin?”

“ _We’ve got a case._ ”

Thank _god_.

 

 

It didn’t go well. Steve was all but ignoring him, which was fine because he wasn’t in the mood to talk either. Steve paired off with Grover to question witnesses, while Danny sifted through Max’s report.

“Don’t you ever get sick of this?” Chin asked once Steve was gone.

“What’s that?”

“The constant arguing, the cold shoulder. Doesn’t it get old?”

“Yeah,” Danny said with a frown. He was so fucking tired of it all.

 

 

After Afghanistan, after Steve got taken hostage, had the shit beat out of him by the Taliban, held accountable for the perceived transgressions against them, after Catherine disappeared into the wind. After his physical wounds had mostly healed. After more than a few rounds of beer. That’s when it happened.

And Danny knew he shouldn’t have let it happen; after, he knew that he’d taken advantage of a bad situation, taken advantage of Steve, and he kicked himself for it every day since.

He was never the guy who snuck out on someone while they were sleeping, but that day, that day Danny was that guy. Steve had gone for his morning swim or whatever, and Danny gathered up his things and left. Not his proudest moment, but he knew it was the right choice, knew that Steve wouldn’t want to come back to find him in his bed.

And Steve didn’t say a word about it after, so neither did Danny.

But he knew that was what fucked it all up.

 

 

“I’m sorry,” Danny said, when the case was closed and he was driving up the street to the McGarrett house. Because, on occasion, he can be the bigger man. “I shouldn’t have told her about that.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Steve said. The world must have been coming to an end, because Danny couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard him apologize sincerely, without a trace of mockery. “You’re right; all of this is because of me.”

Danny blinked, furrowed his brow. “What?”

“I’m trying to, own up to my faults, or whatever. Can you not be a jerk about it?”

Danny pulled into the driveway and shut off the car, then turned his full attention to Steve. “I’m not trying to be a jerk. I don’t get why you think this is your fault.”

“Because I fucked up. We were good before. But I was hurting, and I wanted you so bad, and I couldn’t keep it to myself, and now whatever good thing we had is gone.”

Danny shook his head, and almost laughed. “Steve, this is not your fault.”

“Spare the false platitudes.”

“No, Steve, I’m serious. It’s not your fault. I was right there with you.”

“Right up until you weren’t.”

“So if I’d still been there when you came back from your daily communion with the ocean, you would’ve been cool with that?” Danny asked, certain that was not the case.

Steve bit back his answer, uncertain. “Yes,” he said finally. Like it pained him to say it. Like he was putting himself on the line to admit it.

Oh. “Then I’m sorry,” Danny said again. He leaned across to place a careful kiss on his lips.

“Danny, please don’t. I can’t do this again. I can’t do casual sex with you.”

“How long have we been married?” Not married, together, but they’ve been arguing like and old couple since day one. Danny hoped he understood.

“Four years, seven months and eighteen days,” Steve said without a moment of hesitation.

Danny smiled. Of course he knew the exact amount of time. “That’s what I thought. Ain’t nothing casual about us, babe.” He kissed him again. “So the shrink says that most problems between couples come from a lack of communication, and that for many it’s that both partners want more out of their sex life – either more sex, or more adventurous sex, whatever. So we were good, until we both realized what we wanted out of this, and thought the other didn’t want it. Failure of communication.”

“So, you’re saying you want to have sex with me?”

“I want to have a lot of sex with you, all the time.”

Steve grinned. “I think that can be arranged.” Danny kissed him again. “I don’t know if you know this, but I have a very nice bed inside, much comfier than your car.”

And Danny would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought about fucking Steve over his car, but no, right now they needed a bed.

 

 

Danny opened his eyes as the sun was just peaking through the windows, and found Steve still in bed, watching him with half-lidded eyes. His hand was resting on Danny’s hip, tracing circles on his bare skin.

“Morning,” Danny said sleepily, his eyes falling closed. “Shouldn’t you be off doing your Aquaman routine?”

“Not today,” he said. There was a brief silence before he asked “We good?”

Danny hummed and nodded. “Very good.”

Steve kissed his lips, then his neck. “You hungry?”

“Oh no no no.” He shook his head. “You are _not_ making breakfast.”

“Hey, I happen to be a very good cook.”

“Yes, sure, you are a master of the culinary art of microwaving. But when it comes to real food, _edible_ food, I have you beat, my friend.”


End file.
